Your Comments

IS is built into the camera body….3rd paragraph ? Olympus is the only m43 manufacturer offering inbody IS ! And you shoot a panoramic but don’t offer it in samples so we still don’t know what resolution the g6 is shooting it’s panoramas. And this camera was built for video ...and where’s your review of video capabilities ? ..... and no mention of timelapse and stop-motion ??? Your knowledge of shutter and aperture shooting videos is incorrect. Maybe you need to take one of phil blooms workshops, eh ?

“Optical image stabilisation is built into the camera body, with the 14-42mm kit lens lens that we tested the G6 with lacking a physical OIS switch. Instead it can be turned on and off through the G6’s menu system. When enabled, the Panasonic Lumix G6 automatically compensates for camera shake, which is a slight blurring of the image that typically occurs at slow shutter speeds when the camera is hand held. You don’t notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when anti-shake is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos.”

Mark Goldstein, your statement that optical image stabilization is built into the camera body is incorrect. You must not be familiar enough with panasonic m43 because you should know that none of their cameras have ever had built in o.i.s.

As expected the IQ is the main issue here. You rremakr that it is topclass for m43 cam is incorrect too (most likely). As it is behind OMD, EPL5, EPM2 and GH3 because its use of an older sensor.

I am very sure this camera would sell really well with that sensor as it is as good as the averag ASP-c sensor out there. But with this sensor, it is not. Sad as it is really compleeing in every other way. For those who know enough about camera’s, the Panny G6 is a let down because of this.

-It’s using the GH2 sensor which, last I checked, is still a Very Good sensor!

“Hmmm…how can we trust this review. Panasonic doesn’t have IBIS…”

-Nobody said it uses “ibis” it states O.I.S. whether it’s built in or not. How foolish you are GummyRabbit, Quoting the review, yet not smart enough to notice the difference between the words “OIS” and “IBIS”.

-Honestly Gov, how far can it be from those cameras, when it has features that some of those cameras DON’T? Newer processor, Wi-Fi, NFC?? Again, the GH2 sensor is no slouch. And with an updated engine, I’m sure its running with the rest of the cameras you mentioned, maybe even surpassing some.

Either way, count me in for one… I can see thru the Olympus Fanboy Propaganda. Keep hating, it’s obvious Panasonic is doing something right.

That paragraph about IBIS also made me pause, but the rest of the paragraph clarifies what is going on. Image stabilization is built-in to the lens but turning the IS on or off is done through the menu. The corrected paragraph should read:

Optical image stabilisation can be turned on and off using the menu, with the 14-42mm kit lens that we tested the G6 with lacking a physical OIS switch. Instead OIS can be turned on and off through the G6’s menu system. When enabled, the OIS automatically compensates for camera shake, which is a slight blurring of the image that typically occurs at slow shutter speeds when the camera is hand held. You don’t notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when anti-shake is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos.”

I’ll definitely be buying a G6 body when it’s available. It’s “older sensor” means very little to me. I owned an OM-D and there was very little to judge IQ wise over my G3. Certainly not enough to justify the 110% price premium the Olympus cost. I much prefer the ergonomics and general handling qualities of the Panasonic G bodies and the sensor is more than good enough for me.

Hey, when looking at your sample street images in 28 and 84, it is quite obvious that the 28 is quite soft compared to 84 !
Is this the new regular 14 / 42 zoom type II which is indeed said to be quite sharp center wise and soft at edges in wide position ?
I don’t find it sharp in the center at 28 by no means…..........

I dig the review, the camera looks amazing, a 40 fps burst mode sounds very fun. I just think Olympus took the right decision to have image stabilisation in the body, and now I have invested so much in non-stabilised lenses that I don’t think I could ever move to Panasonic.

However they are certainly making the switch look tempting, so they must be doing something right.

Is the image quality being tested purely on the kit lens? I’ve owned a G2 for a few years and hated every image I’ve taken on its 14-42mm zoom. It’s a totally different camera on the primes (admittedly mostly olympus), and I’d be looking forward to testing this new G6 on 12mm, 25PL, 45 and the 75 that I’ve not yet got.
I’m very much caught as to whether the weather-sealing and video options of the GH3 would rank it higher, but it appears that this G6 has enough features of its own to allow the price difference become the deciding factor. £549 body-only is very reasonable.

I’m im the market too, and the only other camera on my hit list apart from the G6 is the Sony SLT A65, which uses a larger senson (DSLR size APS-C) but more pixels, has phase detection autofocus which is better at following a moving subject, seems to have cheaper lenses as IBIS not OIS, even better EVF, fast burst mode, is cheaper, but no touch-screen, no wi-fi, and is a bit bigger. I really do want wi-fi and a touch-screen!

Is it possible to lock exposure in movie mode? This is easy to do when taking pictures, for example, by setting the AF/AE LOCK button (Fn2) to lock only exposure. But this does not seem to have any effect when taking a movie using either P mode or IA+ mode. Is there a way to lock exposure in movie mode? Thanks, Michael

I looked at this camera today and was quite impressed. Very fast focusing. Everything is very good…except it seems, the image quality. If the images was better I would have bought it there and then. Looks like I will wait for the new year to see what is on offer.

I thought the review gave an excellent overview of the G6. Perhaps too late as I had already sent off an order to buy!
I have already 4 Lumix cameras including the Gh2 - I just love collecting cameras.
Along with many others you do not mention a feature that I find marvellous - intelligent sensitivity. I call it Panasonic’s best kept secret.
I love the fully articulated screen plus other features of Lumix cameras.

I think the issue here about image quality is almost entirely about image quality above ISO 1600 ….and of cpourse with IS in the lenses you can keep your ISO low … so it is less of a problem.
I bought it with the 14-140 lens for less than the price of the lens … fabulous …and I think that is where it is at its best … once you put a 28-280 lens on an APSC then its a hefty beast

Does “Manual” really mean manual for the focus? I struggle with my FZ150 on so-called manual focus mode. I often miss good shots of birds in foliage because I am unable to focus on the bird, rather than a branch in front.